Saturday, June 10, 2006

CDPoker: on my blacklist

Whenever I sign up for a casino account, they require an e-mail address. I use the name of the casino, plus my personal domain name (similar to cdpoker@ruleslawyer.com). That way, if I start getting spammed on one of those addresses, I not only know who to blame, but can also just direct that e-mail address into the trash.

I'm closing down my CDPoker account for two reasons. First, I've started getting spam to that address, even though I've used it nowhere other than my CDPoker registration. I e-mailed CDPoker two weeks ago, and they didn't reply; the spams just kept coming. I asked them about it in online chat, and their response was "e-mail the sender back and ask to be taken off the list." I checked their privacy policy, which lies as follows:

E-mail Addresses are NOT shared with any other organization for commercial or noncommercial purposes. E-mail addresses will only be used to provide our customers with information regarding new software updates, promotional material, and miscellaneous poker operations, such as deposits and withdrawals.

That's bad enough, but secondly, I've been working since late March to accumulate enough "points" to collect the $51 in bonuses I got from my initial deposits. To do so, for each 500 points I earn, I get $10 of my bonus money. At least, that's the way it was when I signed up. I'd gotten my first $21, and when I crossed the line for the next $10, expected to see it in my account. It wasn't there, so I checked the site. They moved the goalposts on me, now requiring 600 points for each $10. I complaned to customer support, and they graciously added $10 to my account, but said I'd have to earn points under the new rules.

So, for spamming and for changing the rules midstream, I'm taking my poker play elsewhere.

(Sure, it's easier to do this now that I'm collecing casino bonuses up the wazzoo, but it was the change in CDPoker's bonus requirements that led me to start looking at the casino bonuses to start with.)

My account there was also something out of nothing, starting with the freeroll I cashed in at Noble Poker, so I think it's fair to add it to my running total.